Improved knapsack



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

JACOB WEBER,OF NEW YORK, N. Y., 'ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, WILLIAM VVHARTON, JR., OF PHILADELPHIA, lENNSYLVANlA, AND IRA B. SNY- DEE, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVED KNAPSAOK.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 46, |95, dated January 31, 1865.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that LJAcoB WEBER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Knapsacks; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification, in which Figure 1 represents my knapsack as it appears when closed. Fig. 2 shows it in vertical longitudinal section when opened and ready to be used as a couch. Fig. 3 is a perspective view thereof when opened for use as a couch and fitted with a canopy. Fig. 4C is an elevation of a vertical-section of the frame of the knapsack closed, the covering being removed.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in a novel construction of knapsack, which is capable of beingchanged into a couch merely by opening it.

A represents the'knapsa-ck, which may be described in general terms as a light metallic frame or skeleton covered with water-proof material.

In Fig. l it is represented as it appears when carried by the soldier, the frame being folded into the form of a knapsack, and fastened by means of eyelets made in the iaps B2 of the covering B, which are passed over buttons 4 6 6 on each end of the frame. When the frame is to be spread out, these buttons are freed from the aps B2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-section of the knap` sack put up, but without its covering. In

this condition of its parts the bar h ot' the central section, O, is the lowest part of tl e frame. The knapsack having been set on the ground while in this condition, the rails a c are to be drawn in opposite directions and turned down upon their hinges b b until they are laid upon the ground at either end of the bar li. The outer ends of each rail ay are fitted with folding rails e e2 and with supports c c, all of like construction, the folding rail e2 being of greater length than the folding rail e, and its rail a being longer than the rail et which carries the folding rail c, to enable the latter to be folded within, as seen in Fig. 4. The folding rail e2 is hinged to its rail a atf, the joint being so made as to permit the rails a and el to come in the same plane. The rails a c and the folding rails e e2 are each made in sets, connected and held to each other by connecting'rods 1, whose length determines the width of the knapsack. Its height is determined by t-he length given to the rails a and its thickness by the length of the bar h and of the rail e2. Each folding rail e e2 is provided with extension-rails, (designated by the letters e e4.) They are also made in sets, connected by rods l, and slide in sockets made for them on the inside of the folding rails. They are to be used in case the unfolding of the other rails does not make a couch of sufticient length, as where it is to be used by a tall person. XV hen the folding rails are turned upon their hinges f, they are held open and in line with the rails a by means of brackets g, formed upon the legs O, which also fold upon the rails a, being connected by hinges d to hanging bearings K, which extend from the rails a at right angles, and at a point within the line of the hinges j'. When the legs c are pnt up to make the knapsack compact, they lie along the inner edges of the rails a, and their ends 3 come close to the ends of the legs .t of the central section, C, when the parts are in the condition shown in Fig. 4, at which time the straight faces of the bracket g will also sustain the folding rails c e2 in the same manner as when the parts are opened, as in Fig. 2. Each folding rail e c2 and the legs c, being turned up, and the rails a brought in line with the bars h, as above explained, the whole structure is next to be brought over upon its legs m c, as shown in Fig. 2. The rods l are covered by the water-proof covering B, whose edges are properly secured over the outer sides of the rails a, the bars h, and the folding rails e e2, to which they may be clamped by snpplementaryvbars a', a2, and c3, respectively, which supplementary bars may carry sockets j, to receive the ends of light metallic ribs i, three or more in number, which are intended to support a canopy, D, of the nature of a tent-cloth. The central section,

(l, it will be seen, forms a skeleton ot' a parallelogram, its legs ar being connected by the rods 1 in one direction and by the bars h and rods 2 in the direction at right angles to the rods l. The said central section may be further strengthened by means of light sheetmetal coverings B', soldered to the legs the same forming, when the knapsack is folded together, the outer covering ot' the lower part of its ends, as shown in Fig. 1. The canopy D and its ribs 1'. are to be carried within the knapsack when they are to accompany it, and the Whole weight of the knapsack of full size for active service, together with the canopy and its ribs, is about nine pounds.

Suicient room is provided Within the frame of ,a knapsack, as above explained, for the stowage of such articles as are to be carried by a soldier in active service.

One of the advantages of this mode ot' inaking knapsacks is the means it affords the soldier of a sleeping-place raised oi from the ground, which is a great desideratun] when camp is pitched in low situations and when troops are marching through swampy regions,

and also when the ground is Wetv from rains or covered with snow.

Another advantage is that the soldier, when taken sick or wounded, has a dry couch to lie down upon, and ield and camp hospitals will need no other beds if the patients are supplied with knapsacks of this construction.

l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. Constructing the traine ot' a knapsack 

